Portable lighter



D. W. GREENE PORTABLE LIGHTER Filed Jan. 24, 1928 INVENTOR 5 15' mu: SES I i gay; iKGreeIte M I? g x 2.4

. W J ATTORNEY UNITE 'rATes manta PATENT OFFEQE.

DAVID w. GREENE, on NEW YORK, iv. Y., ASSIGNOR r M. E. IBERNHARDT COMPANY,

me, onnnw YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION on NEW YORK.

PORTABLE LIGHTER.

Application filed January 24, 1928. Serial No. 249,128.

. This invention relates to portable lighters and has particularly to do with cigar and cigarette lighters which are deslgned to be carried in the pocket of the user and operated when it is desired to light a cigarette,-

cigar or the like. I

This, invention is designed as an improvement upon the construction'disclosed in my copending application for portable lighters, Serial No. 194,951, filed May 28, 1927.

An object of the invention is to provlde improved means for latching the movable arm which controls the sparking and hence the ignition of the wick, and in the present construction I provide aspring-pressed latch member carried by the free end of the arm which engages my improved keeper so as to hold the arm in horizontal position and which is released by a partial rotary or lateral movement of the keeper.

This improved device therefore comes within that class of lighters which are operated by one hand and embodiescertain novel features of construction and combinations and arrangements of part, all of which will be more fully hereinafter described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings- Figure 1 is a view in side elevation showing the arm in normal set position;

Figure 2 isa view, partly in side elevation but mainly in longitudinal section, with the parts in the same position shown in Figure l;

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the lighter with the parts shown in the same position.

' pivotal or partially rotary mounting in a as in Figures 1 and 2; v

Figure 4 is a top plan view of the lighter with the arm sprung upwardly;

wardly and the wick ignited;

Figure 6 is an enlarged view in section on the line 6-6 of'Figure 5 toillustrate the working face of my improved latch member.

the means for lat-chin" or holding the arm and permitting the re ease thereof it is not necessary to describe in detail the construction of the lighter 'as a whole,'as this construction is like the construction disclosed in m copending application above'referred to. owever, in order. that the invention -may'be clearly understood, general reference barrel.

- As this invention primarily has to do with will be made to the parts of the lighter as follows: 7

1 represents a casing having at its top and at one end thereof a bifurcated bracket 2 in which one end of an arm 3 is pivotally mounted. This arm 3 carries an extinguish er or snuifer 4 which is adapted to be posi; tioned over a wick 5.

Atoothed or serrated wheel 6 is movable with the arm 3 and positioned on the pivot of said arm and engages a spring-pressed block 7 of pyrophoric alloy or other sparking material. A spring 8 tends to throw the arm from horizontal position to vertical position, and during this movement the wheel 6 projects sparks from the block 7 to the wick 5 to-ignite the latter.

The arm- 3 is of hollow or tubular form and carries at its free end a spring-pressed latch member 9. This latch member 9 may take various forms but in the form illustrated it constitutes 'a pin movable in a barrel 11 in the arm, and is pressed outwardly by a coiled spring 12 in the barrel, and its outward movement is limited by a shoulder 13 on the pin engaging a shoulder 14 in the The only essential feature of construction is that the latch member 9- is spring pressed and projects normally beyond the end ofthe arm and can. be forced inwardly and will spring outwardly when permitted.

On the'top of the casing 1 and at one end thereof I locate my improved keeper 15. This keeper is in the form of a post having spring housing 16'projecting into the casing 1, and a: coiled spring 17 in thehousing Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure kbut showing the arm of the lighter sprung up-.

16 exerts spring pressure on the post tending to turn the samewithin certain limits. 7 I

The limit of movement is defined by a pin 18, fixed "to-the housing 16, and a slot 19 in the base 25 of post 15 accommodates this pin, and the movement/of the'post is limited by the ends of the groove. I l 5 Other means of course may be employed for limiting the turning movement of the post and it is essential that somemeans be provided which will act as a stop to hold, the postat the desired position. I .1 The upper end of the post is. .1)1'-e'fe1-:tl)ly beveled or rounded, as shown at 20, andin the face of the post or keeper 15 a trans verse groove 01' recess 21 is provided which tion with its recess 22 out of register with the latch member 9 so that when the free end of the arm 3 is moved downwardly the latch member 9 will be forced inwardly by its engagement with the rounded or beveled end of the post or keeper until the latch member is in alinement with the recess 21 when it will spring into said recess and hold the arm in horizontal position.

To release the arm, the post or keeper is given a partial turning movement which causes the working face of said latch memher to be moved transversely or laterally 'to aline the recess 22 with the latch member and permit the spring 8 to throw the arm 3 upwardly as thus positioned the keeper operates to release the latch member from holding engagement with the keeper.

The turning movement of the post or latch member is facilitated by milling the edge of the base 25 of the post or latch member 15, as clearly illustrated, but it is to be distinctly understood that I do not wish to limit myself to specific details of construction but desire to cover broadly the idea of an arm of the character stated carrying a spring-pressed latch member which rides into holding or latching engagement with.a keeper and is released by a movement of the working face of the keeper laterally or transversely as distinguished from a movement longitudinall or away from the end of the arm. In ot er words, the invention includes the provision of a spring-pressed latch member carried by the free end of the arm and a turnin able latch member w ich is so constructed as to compel the latch member to lock therewith when the keeper is in one position, and release the latch member from such looking or holding engagement when the keeper is moved t-ransversel to another position.

While I have illustrated what I believe to'be'a preferred embodiment of my invention it is obvious that various changes and alterations mightbe made in the general form of the parts described without departing from by invention and hence I do not limit myself to the precise details setj forth but consider myself at liberty to make such changes and alterations as fairlyfall within the spirit and scopeof the appended claims.

a spark -controlling,

. I claim: I

1. A portable lighter, including a casing, pivoted, spr ng-moving arm, on one end of the casing, a springpressed latch member normally pro1eoting from the free end of the arm, and a keeper on the casing, said keeper so constructed as to permit holding engagement of the or transversely movcess functioning to latch member therewith when the keeper is in one position and permit release of the latch member from the keeper when the said keeper is moved to another position.

2. A portable lighter, including a casing, a swinging arm on the casing, a springpressed latclrmember carried by the arm, a keeper on the casin said keeper movable laterally relative to the arm and presenting to the latch member a receiving recess therefor when the keeper is in one position and a releasing recess when the keeper is in another position.

3. A portable lighter, including a casing, a spark-controlling, pivoted, spring-moving arm, on one end of the casing, a springpressed latch member normally pro ect1ng from the free end of the arm, and a keeper on the casing, said keeper so constructed as to permit holding enga ement of the latch member therewith when t e keeper is in one position and permit release of the latch member from the keeper when said keeper is moved to another position, said keeper having spring held rotary mounting whereby a turning movement of the keeper 1 mparts a lateral movement to the working face thereof.

4. A portable lighter, including a casing, a swinging arm on the casing), a springpressed latch member carried y the arm, a keeper on the casing, said keeper movable laterally relative to the arm and presenting to the latch member a receiving recess therefor when the keeper is in one position and a releasin recess when the keeper is in another position, said keeper having sprlng held rotary mounting whereby a turning movement of the keeper imparts a latera movement to the working face thereof.

5. A portable lighter, including a casing, a spring-pressed arm on the casing, a springpressed latch member projecting from the free end of the arm, a keeper constituting a post having sprin held rotary mounting in the casing, said eeper having a transverse recess, and a long tudinal recess communicating with one end of the transverse recess, the transverse recess functioning to receive the latch member and hold the arm against movement and the longitudinal reermit the release of said arm when said eeper is operated to move its working face transversely of the arm.

6. A portable lighter, including a casing,

a spring-pressed arm on the casing, a springpressed latch member projecting from the free'end of the arm, a keeper constituting a post having sprin held rotary mounting in the casing, said ee or having a transverse recess and a longitudinal recess communicating with one end of the transverse recess, the transverse recess functioning to receive the latch member and hold the arm against movement and the longitudinal recess functioning to permit the release of said arm when said keeper is operated to move its working face transversely of the arm, said post or keeper having a beveled. or rounded end whereby the movement of the free end of the arm in a downward direction causes the latch member to be forcibly withdrawn by reason of its engagement with 1 the end and face of the post until said member registers with the transverse recess when said latch member will spring into the recess and hold the arm in said position.

Signed 'at New York inthe county of New 15 York and State of New York this 18th day of January, A. D. 1928.

DAVID W. GREENE. 

